Tobacco-pipe attachment



May 10, 1927. v 1,628,059

J: J. O'TOOLE TOBACCO PI PE ATTACHMENT Filed March 29. 1924 INVENTOR Jo'lm Josguh OYZole ATTORNEY Patented May 10, 19270 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN JOSEPH OTOOLE, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

TOBACCO-PIPE ATTACHMENT.

Application filed March 29, 1924. Serial No. 702,755.

My invention relates to tobacco-pipe attachments and particularly to cover members for tobacco-pipes.

One object of my invention is to provide a floating cover member for a tobacco-pipc that shall be prevented from free accidental displacement from operative position.

Another object of my invention is to provide a tobacco-pipe cover member that shall be relatively inconspicuous when in operative position.

Another object of my invention is to provide a tobacco-pipe cover attachment that may be readily mounted on pipes of different forms and sizes.

Another object of my invention is to pro vide a compact and ornamental attachment for a tobacco-pipe that sha l prevent the emission of sparks and ashes from the pipe.

Another object of'my invention is to provide a tobacco-pipe attachment that shall facilitate manipulation of the pipe and that shall, thereby, be particularly attractive and useful to automobile drivers and others whose attention should be distracted to a minimum..

A further object of my invention is to provide a tobacco-pipe attachment that shall be simple and durable in construction, economical to manufacture and effective in its operation.

With such objects in view, as well as other advantages which may be incident to the utilization "of the improvement, the invention consists in the parts and combinations thereof hereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that the several necessary elements constituting the same may be varied in proportion and arrangement without departing from the nature and scope of the invention.

Heretofore, tobacco-pipe cover-member attachments of many forms have been suggested for preventmg the emission of sparks and ashes from plpes. However, many of the suggested devices are objectionable or obtrusive in appearance, are subject to discoloration which renders them more unsightly and, by reason of the employment of delicate hinges and'other frail parts, are readily damaged.

Other objections to tobacco-pipe covermemb'ers heretofore employed are the unnecessary space occupied thereby and. the

necessity of lifting them each time it is desired to tamp or pack the tobacco charge.

In a tobacco-pipe that is carried in the smokers pocket, it is desirable to have the pipe as small as is consistent with the size required to hold a tobacco charge of satisfactory burning duration. Also,in smoking a tobacco-pipe, it is necessary to frequently tamp or pack the to bac'co charge as the latter is consumed. This operation, ,whether performed with the smokers finger, alead pencil or other implement, usually results in a burn or in the withdrawal of ashes from the pipe which are not always readily disposed of and frequently find lodgement on the smokers clothes.

It is my aim to provide a tobacco-pipe attachment that shall not only overcome all of the above-mentioned objections, but that shall, in addition, be particularly attractive and useful to automobile drivers and others who desire or require a pipe that shall demand a minimum of attention.

While driving an automobile or engaged in a similar pursuit, a smoker is particularly likely to sustain undesirable, if not damaging, results from the attempted use of an ordinary pipe, as are those accompanying him, in the form of sparks and ashes which find lodgement in the eyes and on the clothes. Such results may also readily effectsuiticient distraction of thejdrivers attention to cause him to lose control of the car, with the attending possibilities of such loss of control. In fact, the inconvenience attending the attempted use of an ordinary tobacco-pi'pe frequently causes an automobile driver to dispense with the pleasure entirely.

A pipe equipped with a cover member of the prior art which is hinged to the pipe and is latched in closed position is, aside from its objectionable appearance, subject to the objection that it requires opening and closing each time it is desired to tamp the tobacco charge. This operation also distracts the attention of the driver and, particularly in a straight-stemmed pipe, raising the cover member may partially obstruct his vision.

By the use of my invention, an automobile driver may enjoy the pleasure of a pipe at almost any time Without its attending ill dangers and with no more attention than is required. with an ordinary pipe under ideal rest conditions.

In practicing my invention, I provide a uobacco-pipe covermember or attachment in the form or" a perforate disk, or equivalent structure, that lies flat on the tobacco charge and is vertically movable in the pipe bowl. The disk is connected to the pipe preferably by a flexible element or chain, one end of which is secured to the disk and the other end of which is adjustably attached to the pipe stem. The disk is of suiliciently smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the pipe bowl to permit its use for camping the charge to a suflicient depth in the bowl, even though the latter be encrusted or caked to a considerable degree. Means, such as a depending projection or spike on the disk, that. is adapted to be driven into the tobacco charge, and trictionally held thereby, is provided to prevent the free accidental displacement of the disk from operative position. In one form of my invention, the disk is constructed of heat-insulating material, or is so protected by such material, as to further preclude the likelihood of burning the smokers finger when it is desired to tamp the charge.

In order to make the invention more clearly understood, means are shown in the accompanying drawing for carrying the same into practical eliect without limiting the improvements in their useful applications to the particular construction which, for the purpose of explanation, are made the subject of illustration.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing is a side view, partially in section and partially in elevation, of a tobacco-pipe with the attachment of my invention mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view taken along the line IIIHI of Fig. 1;

Figs. 4 and 5 are a plan and a side-elevational view, respectively, of a modified form of cover member embodying my invent-ion;

Figs. 6 and 7 are vie s similar to Figs. a and 5, respectively, of a further modified form of my invention, showing an adjustable element or chain for attaching the same to pipes of dillerent shapes and sizes, and

F 8 and 9 are views similar to Fig. 5, of further modifications of my invention.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, my invention comprises, in general, a cover member 1, a retaining member 2, a flexible element 3 and a. clip or member 4' for attachment to a pipe embodying a bowl. 5, an ornamental band 6 and a stem 7.

The cover member 1, preferably in the form of a perforate disk to permit the free combustion of a tobacco-charge 8 in the bowl 5, is adapted, in operative position, to lie flat on the charge 8. The disk 1 is of such diameter as to clear the sides of the bowl 5, even when the sides are encrusted or caked to a certain degree, and to freely move downwardly With the charge 8 as the latter is consumed.

The retaining member 2 extends through an opening at the center of the disk 1 and for a suiiicient distance into the packed charge 8 to frictionally or yieldably engage the latter and to, thereby, retain the cover disk 1 in the bowl 5 against free displacement from the jolting sometimes accompanying the driving of an automobile. In this form of my invention, the retaining member 2 is shaped similar to a cotter pin, for ease and economy of construction and assembly with the disk, and is provided with lateral protrusions 9 and 10 that are located, respectively, above and below the disk 1 to hold the member 2 and the disk 1 together. The protrusion 9, above the disk 1, is in the form of a ring or eyelet for attachment to one end of the flexible filamentary element 3 which may be in the form of a chain or a multi-strand twisted element of small diameter. The other end of the element 3 is suitably secured to the clip 4- which, in this lorm of my invention, is a split resilient ring biased in position around and against the stem 7. By this construction, the clip 4 is adjustable in position on the stem and adapted to be similarly mounted on stems of different shapes and sizes.

In operation, after the tobacco charge 8 is placed in the bowl 5 and suitably packed or stamped, the disk 1 is placed in position thereover and the retaining member 2 pressed into the charge. The latter may be lighted before or after the disk 1 is placed in position.

Since the member 2 is in frictional engagement, throughout a considerable portion of its area, with the packed charge 8, it is thus held against displacement from shocks and jars but is readily withdrawn by means of the flexible element 3.

the charge 8 is consumed and it is desired to further tamp the same, the tamping operation is quickly and easily accomplished by merely pressing on the cover member 1. This operation requires no more attention and effort than a pipe having no cover and has the additional advantage that the smokers finger does not become burned or soiled with ashes.

When not in operation, the cover member 1 may be carried inside or out-side the bowl and, being small, will not occupy undue space in either case. By removing the clip 4, the entire attachment may be carried in dependently of the pipe to, thus, permit convenient distribution of the parts in the smokers pockets.

In Figs. 1 and 5, in which corresponding parts are designated by corresponding reference numerals, the retaining member 2 may be constructed of resilient strap metal extending through a rectangular opening in the diskl and having ends 12 for frictional engagement with the sides of the bowl 5, instead of with the charge 8 as in the abovedescribed form.

In Figs. 6 and 7, the disk 1 is constructed of metal screen material secured to a metal or insulating ring 14 and having its rim adapted to frictionally engage the sides of the bowl 5. In this form of my invention, the flexible element 3 is in the form of a chain, one end of which interlinks, or is otherwise secured to, the screen disk 1 and the other end link of which is preferably in the form of a hook for attachment to any one of several of the intermediate links thereof to adjust the same to pipe stems of different sizes. The chain of Fig. 6 and the clip of Fig. 1 may be adapted for attachment to the bowl 5 instead of to the stem 7 and the disk 1 otherwise suitably mounted.

In Fig. 8, the disk 1 and the retaining member 2 are combined in one integral unit, preferably of molded asbestos composition or other suitable insulating material to which an eyelet 15 may be secured for attachment to the element 3.

In Fig. 9, the disk 1 is of metal or of insulation and the retaining member 2 is of insulating material having an enlarged head 16.

The disk 1 may be suitably constructed of metal or of insulating material to prevent injury or inconvenience to the smoker.

The advantages incident to the utilization of my invention are present in all of the above-described forms thereof.

I claim as my invention 1. An attachment, for an ordinary tobacco pipe embodying a bowl havings its chargereceiving opening at its upper end, comprising a perforate disk member adapted to rest on the charge and being of sufiiciently smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the bowl to'permit the disk to move and be moved downwardly as the charge is con sumed, said disk having means for frictional engagement with an element in the bowl for preventing its ready accidental displacement.

2. A tobacco-pipe attachment comprising a perforate disk member for position on a tobacco charge in the pipe bowl, and a flexible element for connection between the member and the stem of the pipe and constituting the sole means for securing the member to the pipe.

3. A tobacco-pipe attachment comprising a perforate disk member for position on a tobacco charge in the pipe bowl, a flexible element constituting the sole means for securing the member to the pipe, and means for preventing the free displacement of the disk from operative position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 22nd day of March,

JOHN JOSEPH OTOOLE. 

